Picton Castle's Bosun School

Advanced Training for Dedicated Mariners

Conducted by Capt. Daniel Moreland, the crew of the Picton Castle, and guest instructors.

September 1 – December 4, 2009
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
thebosunschool@picton-castle.com
(902) 634-9984

Advance Skills Without the Distractions of Sea

There is nothing better than real seatime under sail to gain experience and the skills of a mariner. But sometimes on these hard working ships there is little time for crew to focus on particular advanced skills such as wire work and sailmaking. And rarely does the opportunity roll around to actually help rig a large sailing ship from the keel up or lay a sail out with a professional sailmaker.

The mission of the Picton Castle Bosun’s School is to provide an opportunity and the environment for young dedicated mariners to advance their technical skill levels in a concentrated fashion without the natural demands and duties of being underway at sea. By joining the Bosun School this autumn you will get the chance to advance your skill levels significantly, making your chances at the best berths in good ships of your choice all the stronger. Once signed aboard your next ship you will have that much more to offer and be a greater contributor to helping the ship on her mission which is, after all, what being a crewmember is all about.

Build Skills, Tools and Your Résumé

Sling your sea-bag over the rail September 1st, 2009 and join us in advanced rope-work, wire seizings, wire splicing, basic sailmaking and hand-work in cotton and synthetic sail repair, parceling & serving as if you had a whole ship to rig; ship and boat caulking and pitching, basic boat carpentry, 1st Class varnish and industrial varnish, tar and oil mixtures, proper Bosun-chair work and more! Dip your arms in Stockholm Tar, learn tons, have fun, flesh out your resume, become well acquainted with the seaport of Lunenburg’s excellent pubs, and meet marine artisans and crafts-folk with generations of ship work behind them. When you join your next vessel, you’ll take with you an enriched set of skills and knowledge that will serve you and your position well.

Enrollment is Limited

This program is set up for people ages 18-30 with some previous experience in traditional vessels or that have sailed in ships or vessels of some kind as either a student or crewmember.

Upon completion of the course you will receive a certificate of completion from the program, and an evaluation of your accomplishments at The Bosun School.

The program commences Tuesday, September 1 and finish on Friday, December 4, 2009. Of course, you are welcome to stay for the weekend following December 4.

Cost: $5,795 CAD* for 14 weeks. The price includes materials, bunk and board, as well as all taxes and fees.

* Check cost in US Dollars, Euro, GBP, and other currencies.

There will be designated basic duty/security watches onboard at all times during the course of this program, including the evenings and on weekends.

Applicants must include a character reference and recommendation from a previous vessel or sailing program.

Call 902-634-9984 or e-mail us for more information or to apply!

Program outline

September 1st through 21st

Orientation, Down-rig, Schooner Sailing, Small Boat Handling

You will be joining the experienced crew of the Barque Picton Castle in this rare opportunity to work in the rigging of this true deep-water square-rigged sailing ship while alongside. A large part of the first three weeks of the program will be devoted to learning through down-rigging this ship after over a year at sea and 20,000 miles sailed all around the Atlantic Ocean. This will include sending down t’gallant masts and yards; sending down and overhauling all blocks and running rigging and instruction in the specific methods of troubleshooting, inspection and overhaul of wooden and steel spars and rigging followed by sending many blocks back up. This is a real rigger’s delight. During this period we will conduct workshops in rig theory and development, safe working practices aloft and related subjects.

Small Boat Training and Handling

Small boat competency and mastery is essential to being a good and qualified Bosun. To put the ‘Boat’ in Boatswain we will be doing a lot of small boat handling and practice, including schooner sailing and theory in dories, pulling boats, motor skiffs, gaff rigged schooners and traditional wooden sailing boats of various types. Most Wednesday afternoons Lunenburg Harbour is the setting for a series of traditional small craft races by local mariners. We have many such craft waiting to be exercised by you and mariners to show you how.

Lunenburg Schooner Races

Bosun’s School students will be encouraged to make friends with the local sailing fleet and secure a spot onboard a local vessel for Lunenburg’s most famous Schooner race, the September Classic.

Big Schooner Sailing

We will sail in the magnificent famous Schooner Bluenose II under Captain Phil Watson - a day devoted to insights into the techniques and challenges of sailing the largest and fastest wooden gaff-rigged schooner in the world with her enormous press of sail. And then sail in this vessel all day long along the coast of Nova Scotia.

Sept 21st–mid October

Rigging, Tools, Painting, Seizing, Splicing, Wire-work

Tools, knives, spikes, prickers, fids, serving boards, serving mallets, seizing heavers. Rigging vices, rigging clamps, Spanish windlasses etc.
Rope and Fibre seizings – round seizings, flat seizings, rose lashings, etc
The nature of rope and rope work; fibre splices (long, short, cable, eye, sailmakers, etc)
Parceling and serving with serving boards and serving mallets
Stoppers, Chinese fingers, strops
Ratlines, straight as an arrow
Best baggywrinkle
Running rigging
tackles, burtons, blocks, etc
Wire seizings
Wire splicing
Large hawser splicing; shroud laid, eight-braid, etc
Handling heavy gear on deck and aloft
Sending yards and topmasts aloft and down
Rigs, rigging theory
Setting up the rig; dead-eyes & lanyards, rigging screws, staying the spars; how and why.
Tarring, greasing and oiling the rig –how and why.
Safe and effective Bosun chair work
Rig surveying, maintenance and repair
“The Ship’s Husband”- Keeping the ship clean and organized- #1 priority
“The Paint Locker” Coatings, prep, mixtures, hot coats and getting the job done
“Sail the Ship” Sailing ship handling theory and techniques
Introduction to a little carpentry so you are not a wood butcher

Mid-October through end of program December 4th

Advanced Sailmaking, Dory-Building, Damage Control, Wrap-Up

During this 6-week period, we will be breaking into groups to focus on and rotate through the following areas:

Sailmaking Concentration

Basic canvas work and sailmaking intro
Traditional square-sail and schooner sail design and construction theory
Sail shape and how to get it
Keeping the old sails going; all manner of repairs, patching from good to fast and dirty.
Preserving sails: cotton, flax, Duradon, Dacron fabric
Laying out a sail and cutting
Hand-seaming
Machine seaming
Tabling, patches and grommets
Reef-bands
Roping with fibre or wire
Cringles-spectacle iron, ring and thimbles, stuck cringles in wire or fibre
Emergency and fast repairs to keep sailing

Build a Dory and basic boat carpentry

The nearby Dory Shop has been supplying dories to fisherman since 1917; here students will build help build a dory from scratch and become more familiar with basic boat carpentry tools and practices.

help build a classic fisherman’s dory the old way
learn the fundamentals of proper caulking and paying in heavy and light planking
tools, tricks, short cuts.
fiberglass and epoxy repairs
basic expedient repairs in wood and steel

Wrap- Up and miscellaneous topics

This two-week period will give us a chance to make sure that we have covered everything we meant to, as well as give you even more hands-on time to review all the things you’ve learned. If time permits, we may also take field trips during this time.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the Bosun’s School, please do not hesitate to give us a call or send an email. We’re very much looking forward to running this course; there isn’t much that is more fun than sailing in Lunenburg in the fall, getting your hands tarry and building boats!

Act Now

Remember there is limited space for the Bosun School so if you are interested in applying, call 902-634-9984 or e-mail us now to apply or get more details. Don't let this opportunity pass you by. Call 902-634-9984 now and come learn with us!

Barque Picton Castle

Picton Castle's Bosun School

Advanced Training for Dedicated Mariners